An evaluation of the Widening Digital Participation in Health programme
This evaluation report examines the huge crossover between those who are digitally excluded and those who are at risk of poor health.
An evaluation of the Widening Digital Participation in Health programme
From 2013-2016, Good Things Foundation and NHS England partnered to deliver the Widening Digital Participation programme which aimed to help more than 220,000 people improve their digital health skills.
In our changing world, most information, social interaction, shopping, and services like banking, are now online and accessed using computers and smartphones. When this programme began, an estimated 12.6 million people in the UK did not have the basic skills needed to make use of some of these services. Research suggests that these people are most likely to be socially excluded, hard to reach, and suffer from poor health.
Borrowing the phrase from Martha Lane Fox, this programme was aiming to ‘reach the furthest first’ and not leave anyone behind. Our CEO Helen Milner OBE said:
“There is a huge crossover between those who are digitally excluded, those who are socially excluded, and those at risk of poor health. The Widening Digital Participation programme aimed to see how action on one front could influence the others.”
The impact of the Widening Digital Participation in Health programme
As a result of the programme, over 220,000 people were supported to learn how to use digital health resources and tools. 59% of people supported feel more confident to use online tools to manage their health, and 65% feel more informed about their health.
Download the full evaluation report on the right of this article to find out more.